


Adventures in miscommunication

by allegedlyanandroid



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Positive Miscommunication, Soft Gavin Reed, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900, but they're trying, they're dumbasses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23839678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allegedlyanandroid/pseuds/allegedlyanandroid
Summary: Nines doesn't understand social cues.Or in which Gavin feels like high-fiving is the best way to celebrate solving a difficult case and Nines misinterprets the gesture.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 38
Kudos: 381





	Adventures in miscommunication

**Author's Note:**

> Two fics in the same week? It's less likely than you think!
> 
> Edit: Now with [artwork!](https://fire-obsessed.tumblr.com/post/622327771979448320/adventures-in-miscommunication-by) by the amazingly talented @fire-obsessed on tumblr. Go check it out!

**Adventures in miscommunication**

The case they’d been working on had, before its conclusion, been a gruelling affair full of all-nighters and too much caffeine. Well... at least on Gavin’s part. Nevertheless, it had taken a toll on Nines as well although it wasn’t as obvious. Androids didn’t develop dark circles underneath their eyes and sore backs after all.

Behind them the door to the interrogation room swung closed with a muted click. It had taken hours for their perpetrator to confess but, faced with the overwhelming evidence of his wrongdoings, he’d finally cracked under the pressure and admitted to committing the crime.

Gavin takes a long breath and glances over at his partner. Nines is watching him, like he always does. It used to bother him at the beginning of their partnership but it doesn’t anymore; now that they’ve been stuck together for almost three months. Sure, it’s never fun to be analysed like a specimen under a microscope but that was just the way Nines came off sometimes.

Nines _wasn’t_ built for human integration like Connor and it showed in the way he frequently missed social cues and held himself a bit to stiffly and crowded people’s personal space. It was glaringly obvious he didn’t know how it affected others until someone pointed it out and then he’d get this small, helplessly sad look in his eyes and seemingly shrink back into himself. Like he was beating himself up for doing something wrong.

In hindsight, Fowler couldn’t have chosen a better partner for Nines than Gavin.

See... Gavin for all his flaws and misdirected anger was a sucker for helpless creatures and gently nudging them along until they managed to get back on their feet. The two malnourished stray cats he carefully nurtured back to health was a clear testament to that fact. Nines appeared to fumble his way through life while trying to make himself appear small (a futile endeavour doomed from the start given his size) as to not draw unnecessary attention.

Gavin had looked him over once and then instantly taken him under his wing.

He’d been fiercely protective over the soft android from the start and tried his best in guiding Nines through the pitfalls of emotions deviancy brought; despite his near comical adversity to feeling feelings himself.

“Fucking finally! I thought I’d never see the light of day again!” Gavin says exasperatedly, gesturing wildly with his hands while doing so. He very nearly whacks Nines across the face in his distraction. It’s a good thing his partner has quick reflexes.

Nines’ mouth quirks upwards a fraction. “In that case, I regret to inform you that it’s currently 11:26PM and it’s highly unlikely that you’ll find light outside at this time from a non-artificial source.”

“What-fucking-ever. We came, we kicked ass, we’ll do the paperwork in the morning because if I have to spend one more night staring at the monitor instead of, I don’t know, sleeping in my own bed, I am going to snap.”

“I’m sure Officer Chen can handle it from here.”

Gavin grins up at him. “Yeah, definitely.”

Nines watches as Gavin rolls his shoulders to release some of the pent-up tension there. They had hardly moved from the door, instead standing only a few steps to the side to make it easier for the pair of Officers, Tina Chen amongst them, to remove Abbott from the room and walk him to the holding cells.

“Well-” Gavin says, drawing the vowel out long, "-I think we did good,” he blinks once and then raises his hand up to hover in the air between them, looking towards the end of the corridor where Tina had disappeared around the corner. “High five.”

Seconds tick by slowly and Gavin turns his gaze up to look up at Nines with a small frown. The android is studying his hand carefully and then he hesitantly raises his own in a jerky manner, stopping twice for a brief time, before bringing it to gingerly rest palm to palm against Gavin’s. Nines looks at him and there’s something akin to pride in his eyes. It’s the same expression he wears when he manages to properly understand a human idiom or react to a social cue in the “correct” manner.

Gavin on the other hand isn’t sure how to react, he just stands there dumbfounded, until the lack of proper response has Nines’ expression twisting into an upset frown. Grey eyes lock onto their hands again as he slowly lets his fingers fall in the spaces between Gavin’s until he’s keeping them trapped in a one-sided hold. Another anxious search over Gavin’s face seems to ask: _“Am I doing this right?”_

With no conscious thought as to why, Gavin allows his fingers to slot over Nines’.

And now they’re just casually holding hands. As you do.

Red spreads across his cheeks and he buries his face in his free hand to hide the blush despite wanting to see the wonky smile stealing across Nines’ face. When he peeks up it's directed solely at him and the content pride has reappeared too, much to Gavin’s delight.

“How long does this typically last?” Nines wonders. He likes it. The warmth of Gavin’s palm feels nice against his skin and Nines finds he’s in no hurry to let go.

“I don’t know,” Gavin says.

“But- But you were the one who—?”

“We’re doing it wrong,” Gavin deadpans. That seems to shake Nines slightly. However, Gavin is expecting the shift in which Nines moves to pull his hand away and tightens his grip before that can happen.

Mortification dusts Nines’ cheeks a pale blue... it’s _endearing_.

“I think I like this better though,” Gavin strokes his thumb over the back of Nines’ hand a few times and he knows he’s grinning like an idiot. He can’t help it; not when Nines gives a tentative squeeze back and looks bashfully to the floor.

Eventually Gavin pulls away and nods toward the door. “Home?”

Nines inclines his head and falls into step beside his partner. Home sounds nice. As does continuing this potential newfound shift in their relationship. Besides... the way Gavin links their pinkies together on the way to the car more than makes up for the awkwardness of before.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on tumblr? [allegedlyanandroid](https://allegedlyanandroid.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Here's the art again if you don't feel like scrolling up!](https://fire-obsessed.tumblr.com/post/622327771979448320/adventures-in-miscommunication-by)


End file.
